Join us for a special screening of A Complete Unknown, the acclaimed 2024 biographical drama about legendary musician Bob Dylan's transformative early years.

Directed by James Mangold, A Complete Unknown chronicles the journey of a 19-year-old Bob Dylan (portrayed by Timothée Chalamet) as he arrives in New York City in 1961. Determined to meet his idol, the ailing folk singer Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), Dylan quickly immerses himself in the vibrant Greenwich Village music scene. Under the mentorship of figures like Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) and alongside contemporaries such as Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), Dylan's meteoric rise challenges traditional folk norms, culminating in his controversial electric performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. ​

A Complete Unknown has garnered critical acclaim, earning eight nominations at the 97th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Chalamet. The film is celebrated for its authentic portrayal of Dylan's early career and the cultural shifts of the 1960s. ​

Don't miss this opportunity to witness the story of a musical icon's rise to prominence and the moments that defined a generation.

Rated R

2:21 H

Registration is Required:

https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/monday-movie-matinee-a-complete-unknown/

Something GIANT is coming to the Gunn Memorial Library! The Junior Library invites all members of our community to join us for Story Mode, a creative storytelling adventure leading up to the start of Summer Reading in June!

In collaboration with the GIANT Room, a New York City-based innovation hub for kids, the Junior Library will provide four Remix activities Stations. These stations will allow you, your friends, and your family to draw and invent unique characters, settings, and plot twists and see them transformed into published trading cards, games, and comic strips.

Every Remix Station is a self-directed activity, so you can complete it on your own time with or without the help of a librarian. The Junior Library also offers “Creation Hours” every week, during which you can use supplies from the Makerspace to bring your vision to life. Be sure to check the library’s website for the complete schedule!

Each month focuses on a different part of your story:

– May 3-24, create challenges for your character. Help create a deck of “Would You Rather” questions by submitting a question that help you reflect on your emotions, make you smile with a rhyme, spark a debate, or give you the giggles! The GIANT Room will remix your creation into a printed trading card.

– June 7-28, tell a story about your character. Write and illustrate a comic strip using a pre-made template, and the GIANT Room will remix it into a printed poster.

– Saturday, June 21, from 10-12 pm kick off summer reading and level up your character’s story as you visit several activity stations at this community event with the GIANT Room.

This is a great opportunity to express your creativity, collaborate with your community, and see your ideas come to life!

This program was made possible by the Connecticut State Library.

Plant lovers and garden gurus are invited to The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens annual Gardenpalooza plant sale on Saturday, May 17 from 10 am to 1 pm featuring a variety of perennials, annuals, flowers, vegetable and herb plants available for purchase from Meadowbrook Gardens. Stock up on plants to start or add to your own home garden.

Additionally, Farmers and Cooks will be on site offering tasty ready-to-eat food for purchase featuring local ingredients.

Plus, local organizations will also be present to showcase their projects and initiatives. Discover how they’re growing positive change and get inspired to dig deeper into community connections!

The Gunn Junior Library is so excited to be at the Judy Black Memorial Park & Gardens on Saturday, May 17 from 10-12. Please look for our table. We will be giving out seeding planter cups.

Something GIANT is coming to the Gunn Memorial Library! The Junior Library invites all members of our community to join us for Story Mode, a creative storytelling adventure leading up to the start of Summer Reading in June!

In collaboration with the GIANT Room, a New York City-based innovation hub for kids, the Junior Library will provide four Remix activities Stations. These stations will allow you, your friends, and your family to draw and invent unique characters, settings, and plot twists and see them transformed into published trading cards, games, and comic strips.

Every Remix Station is a self-directed activity, so you can complete it on your own time with or without the help of a librarian. The Junior Library also offers “Creation Hours” every week, during which you can use supplies from the Makerspace to bring your vision to life. Be sure to check the library’s website for the complete schedule!

Each month focuses on a different part of your story:

– May 3-24, create challenges for your character. Help create a deck of “Would You Rather” questions by submitting a question that help you reflect on your emotions, make you smile with a rhyme, spark a debate, or give you the giggles! The GIANT Room will remix your creation into a printed trading card.

– June 7-28, tell a story about your character. Write and illustrate a comic strip using a pre-made template, and the GIANT Room will remix it into a printed poster.

– Saturday, June 21, from 10-12 pm kick off summer reading and level up your character’s story as you visit several activity stations at this community event with the GIANT Room.

This is a great opportunity to express your creativity, collaborate with your community, and see your ideas come to life!

This program was made possible by the Connecticut State Library.

May 20, 2:00-3:30 pm

The Gunn Museum and Makerspace present a series of craft workshops inspired by artifacts from the Museum’s collections.

May’s workshop focuses on basket weaving! See examples of different baskets from the Museum’s collection and make one to bring home.

Ages 18+

Registration required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/crafting-history-basket-weaving/

The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal

The Storyteller’s Death by Ann Dávila Cardinal is a critically acclaimed novel that offers a compelling blend of magical realism, family legacy, and cultural exploration. It is an ideal choice for thoughtful discussion and reflection.

Set in 1970s Puerto Rico, The Storyteller’s Death follows Isla Larsen Sanchez, a teenage girl navigating the complexities of identity, grief, and belonging. After her grandmother’s death, Isla begins to experience vivid visions of her ancestors’ stories—visions that both unsettle and enlighten her. As Isla unravels generations of hidden truths, the line between past and present, myth and reality, becomes increasingly blurred.

Ann Dávila Cardinal masterfully weaves together themes of intergenerational trauma, storytelling, and cultural identity in a novel that is as emotionally resonant as it is thought-provoking.

All community members are invited to participate in this literary exploration. Whether you are a longtime participant or new to the group, we welcome your insights and perspectives.

Registration is required.

Copies of the book are available at the circulation desk.

Registration required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/gml-thursday-book-club-the-storytellers-death-by-ann-davila-cardinal/

Paint a bookmark that looks just like stained glass in this Makerspace workshop! 

Ages 18+

Registration Required:

https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/faux-stained-glass-bookmarks/

Get ready for warmer weather by creating beautiful, seasonal crafts! Youngsters can use colorful paper, craft sticks, gems, and paper butterflies to design their own unique creations to take home. All materials will be provided, and the activity is fun for all ages!

Registration required

Feeling stressed? Visit the Makerspace to relax and unwind at this calming craft night. Work on a project from home or make a collage as you listen to tranquil music and spend time with friends.

Ages 18+

Registration Required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/peaceful-palettes-collage/

Discover what the CNC machine can do in this beginner-friendly workshop! You’ll learn how to create a design in Canva and then program the CNC to engrave it on a wooden picture frame. Frames will be cut after the workshop and can be picked up at the library at a later date.

18+

Registration Required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/adult-workshop-engraved-frames/

Enjoy an acclaimed movie taken from a celebrated book!

Small Things Like These, the acclaimed 2024 historical drama directed by Tim Mielants and adapted by Enda Walsh from Claire Keegan’s Booker Prize–nominated novella, offers a powerful meditation on moral courage and institutional silence. Set in 1985 in a small Irish town, the film follows coal merchant Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy). He uncovers disturbing truths about the local convent’s treatment of young women, echoing the real-life atrocities of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries.

Registration is required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/monday-movie-matinee-small-things-like-these/

1H 38M

PG-13

More Crochet Granny Squares with Missy Stevens | June 3, 2:00-5:00 pm

Do you know how to chain and double crochet? Come to the Makerspace and learn how to combine these foundational techniques to create colorful squares for blankets, pillows, and scarves. Whether you’ve joined our previous crochet workshops, made a few granny squares at home, or are diving into this classic craft for the first time, this workshop is for you!

Guest instructor Missy Stevens will guide participants through decoding crochet pattern language, crafting a modern granny square block, and joining multiple blocks to build a larger project. Bring your questions, four colors of worsted-weight yarn, and an H-8 (5mm) crochet hook.

About the Instructor:

Missy Stevens is a maker and studio artist who works with thread, fabric, and clay to create distinctive pieces inspired by the natural world. Introduced to sewing in childhood, she has since explored many textile arts, including weaving, embroidery, crochet, and punch needle embroidery—a technique she uses to produce richly colored thread paintings. Her work has been exhibited nationally and featured in numerous books and magazines.

Ages 18+, Registration Required.

https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/more-crochet-granny-squares-with-missy-stevens/

Adult Sewing Workshop: Sew a Playing Card Holder | June 7, 10:00-11:30 am

Summer is the perfect season for card games with friends—make it even more enjoyable with your handmade playing card holder! In this beginner-friendly sewing workshop, you’ll learn how to:

• Thread a sewing machine
• Sew straight stitches with an accurate seam allowance
• Pivot around corners
• Add neat topstitching for a polished finish
• 
  

By the end of the session, you’ll have a practical and gift-worthy item you made yourself. No experience is necessary—just bring your enthusiasm and creativity!

Ages 18+, Registration Required.

https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/adult-workshop-sew-a-playing-card-holder/

Join us for a night of words, wit, and friendly competition at the Gunn Memorial Library’s Scrabble Evening! Whether you’re a seasoned wordsmith or just love the fun of playing, this event is perfect for all skill levels. Scrabble is an excellent way to test your vocabulary, figure out strategies, and tap your creativity in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. 

We’ll provide the boards, tiles, and plenty of snacks—just bring your love of the game!

Whether you come to win or just to play for fun, Scrabble Night at the Library promises a fantastic evening of community and connection.

Registration is required

For more information or to register, visit our website at: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/category/adultlib/2025-06/

The 2024 Booker Prize-winning novel is a powerful and introspective exploration of one day aboard a space station, following the lives of six astronauts and cosmonauts worldwide. As they orbit Earth at 17,000 miles per hour, their connections to home are glimpsed through brief communications, cherished mementos, and memories. The novel beautifully captures their daily routines—preparing meals, floating in weightlessness, exercising to maintain strength—and their deep bonds in isolation. With stunning descriptions of sixteen sunrises and sunsets each day, Orbital is both a tribute to human connection and a poignant elegy to our fragile planet.

Registration is required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/gml-friday-book-club-orbital-by-samantha-harvey/

Kids Sewing Workshop: Sew a Playing Card Holder (Grades 4-5) | June 17, 3:30-5:00 pm

Summer is an excellent time to play card games with friends. Make it easier to track all the cards with a handmade playing card holder! In this beginner-friendly workshop, participants will learn how to thread a sewing machine, sew straight stitches with an accurate seam allowance, pivot around corners, and sew topstitching as they create a practical item that’s also great for gifting. 

Grades 4+5, Registration Required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/kids-workshop-sew-a-playing-card-holder/

Enjoy an acclaimed movie taken from a celebrated book!

Small Things Like These, the acclaimed 2024 historical drama directed by Tim Mielants and adapted by Enda Walsh from Claire Keegan’s Booker Prize–nominated novella, offers a powerful meditation on moral courage and institutional silence. Set in 1985 in a small Irish town, the film follows coal merchant Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy). He uncovers disturbing truths about the local convent’s treatment of young women, echoing the real-life atrocities of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries.

Registration is required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/june-movie-small-things-like-these/1H 38M

PG-13

Beyond the Basics: Foundation Paper Pieced Quilt Blocks | June 24, 2:00-4:00 pm

Level up your sewing skills with this intermediate workshop! Do you like the look of intricate quilt blocks but dislike fiddly cutting, measuring, and trimming? Foundation paper piecing might be the technique for you! In this workshop, you’ll learn how to “sew by number” and create a beautiful quilt block by machine stitching fabric on top of a removable paper template. Once you know the basics, you can visit the Makerspace during Open Hours to create more blocks and transform them into a fully finished quilted project! Ages 18+, Registration Required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/beyond-the-basics-foundation-paper-pieced-quilt-blocks/

Join the Gunn Library Book Club on Thursday evening for a rewarding discussion on celebrated author Niall Williams's beautiful book, The Time of the Child.

Doctor Jack Troy was born and raised in Faha, but his responsibilities for the sick and his care for the dying mean he has always been set apart from the town. His eldest daughter, Ronnie, has grown up in her father's shadow, and remains there, having missed one chance at love – and passed up another offer of marriage from an unsuitable man.

But in the Advent season of 1962, as the town readies itself for Christmas, Ronnie and Doctor Troy's lives are turned upside down when a baby is left in their care. As the winter passes, father and daughter's lives, the understanding of their family, and their role in their community are changed forever.

Registration is required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/gml-thursday-book-club-the-time-of-the-child-by-niall-williams/